bigcountry

I agree 100%. I was cheap and didn't want to buy a slug gun when I moved to MD. I used 00 on blackwater refuge for sika deer. That stuff had no knockdown power after 30 yards.

I have shot sika wounded with the stuff. And had healed and was full of puss. I won't use it anymore.

Retaks

A Mod choke is your best bet. I use No. 4 Buck for coyotes though. I use it in a full choke and it works well on them out to 50 yards.

Allen Denton

I have had both Patternmaster and Kick's buck kicker choke tubes and I prefer the Kick's choke tube with 00buck.

SavageOne

If you're only going out to ranges of 20 yards you might want to try Centurion Multi-Defense Buckshot. It's basically a ball and buck round, with a .650 round ball sitting on 6 #1 buck. It's kinda like the old pumpkin ball rounds with the added bonus of the buckshot. You should get 40 yard accuracy with this round.

eldeguello

Thanks! I've been in the process of moving for the past 45 days or so! I am now back in NY, about 25 miles SE of Syracuse, almost precisely 300 miles north of where I lived in PA.

I went to the DMV today to register my vehicles in NY again. It cost me $334.50 for a 1998 pickup, a 2001 Lincold Town Car, and an NY drivers license. The DMV scam in NY is that they charge you for TWO YEARS' registration, and they keep all the money-even ifyou don't stay two years.

Oh well. Welcome back to NY!!

eldeguello

My experience with the use of buckshot on deer was in Virginia, and I am pretty sure I never lived in any other state where it was legal, but maybe I have. I know for sure that everywhere else that I've lived, if rifles were legal,no-one used buckshot instead.

While in VA, I participated in a number of hunts inm which dogs were used, and the hunting parties consisted of as many as 30-40 people. So I did get an opportunity to observe a number of deer that were fired upon by a number of people using the stuff. In one instance, a smallish buckwas shot at by four guys using 12-ga guns from about 40 yards as it ran by them. The little fellow showed no signs of having been hit. That evening, as we were getting ready to leave the hunt area, one of the installation guides (Fort Pickett, Nottoway County VA) came over to our vehicle and asked us "you boys want that little buck you shot earlier? We just found him." Turned out that the little deer (about 90 pounds live weight) had travelled 1.5 miles from where he'd been shot. There were THREE 00 buckshot pellets through his lungs, and one had gone thru his heart. He'd travelleda mile and a halflike that before dying. If a hound had not followed him down into the swamp, we never even would have known that anyone had hit him.

I realize this is just one case. But if he'd been hit in the same spot by even a .243, he would not have gone over 100 yards! I still contend that there's a very good reason why buckshot is not allowed for deer hunting in a great number of jurisdictions...........

vadeerkiller

Might as well give my 2 cents worth. From my experience and just like other people said, trydifferent choke tubes and ammo to find out what your gun likes. As far as buckshot, living here in Virginia in some counties it is all you can use.Being from the midwest and coming to Virginia I thought it was the strangest thing in the world. Now using dogs and buckshot has grown on me.It is effective to a point and the best option when shooting at deer in the cutover that are hauling freight.

Adirondack Hunter

thats new york for ya!

hometheaterman

I've had the same experience and don't really like buckshot. There however, are some times where it's more practical like stated above when they are running through a cut over or something. You usually don't have time to get them in the scope and shoot on a rifle. Shotguns come in handy in situations like that. I've seen several deer having been shot by several different people with buckshot and keep going or be shot by several people before he finally died.

Pioneer2

I always had better patterns with #1 buck from a full choke.Have folded deer on the full run at 60 yards.Mod may be better for the larger double ought................Harold